When the last one falls
by michiyorain
Summary: Hitsugaya struggles to live after Hinamori's death. Now with a chance to renew his vow to protect her, will he fail again? And the sudden appearance of a woman believed to be dead 500 years ago could make the matters worst.
1. Chapter 1: Rebirth

**This is my try at making a hitsu/hina! Please review!!!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own bleach…and refer to this for the next chapters…**

**Chapter 1: Rebirth**

Everything is gloomy and cold. The eerie silence echoed in the vast wilderness. Blood covered the ground and the sky was black. The war is over and it's time to turn back and look for the casualties. It showed how one's greed for power and domination could turn out and how it could hurt everyone else so badly. The soft breeze blew, beckoning those who still had the will to live to move on. The night has ended and a new dawn of peace is coming. All except for one…who was still trapped in the depths of the night…

A boy with an easily noticeable spiky white hair knelt on the ground. He was wearing a blood-stained captain's haori over his shinigami uniform. His eyes were devoid of life and any happiness that everything is over, everyone pulled through, the enemies are dead and the hope for a new dawn is approaching. His young face cannot show what he felt inside. His arms lay limply by his sides. He was so worn out he wish he could rest forever.

Extreme agony and regret and remorse filled his mind. He failed miserably to protect her. He wasn't there when she needed him the most. The only purpose of his life shattered before his very eyes.

"Hinamori…" the boy whispered to the body in front of him. But no answer came to him or any sign that he was heard. It was silence. Deafening silence. And it was killing him.

Rain started falling slowly from the sky. He did not mind though for still he knelt in there. His sword was broken and the shards reflected the face of it's wielder as tears streamed down his strained face.

"Why…" he whispered.

Still no answer came.

"Momo…come back…" he begged.

He longed to see her smile again. It could always wash away his fears and worry. It was so warm and it lightens his burdens once he sees her smile as bright as the sun. The way she never fails to annoy him by just calling him "Shiro-chan" and the fact that he can't do anything to stop her, but still if others called him that they wouldn't be able to utter another word again. The fact that he always felt it his utmost duty to protect her when she's in trouble.

She lay on the ground, her face pale and cold. Her once bright and warming smile replaced by a cold, gloomy façade. She was gone. But still, she was clutching her right hand as if protecting it. She held it close to her heart.

Hitsugaya never dared touch her. As much as he wanted to hold her in his arms, he won't dare to. He was afraid, very much afraid. He was afraid to touch her limp body. He was afraid that he might hurt her even more. He was afraid that his life would be crumbling to pieces, once he touches her, and finds out that his worse fears had come to pass.

But still, he wanted to. He gathered up the courage to hold her. He picked her up by the shoulders and placed her head on his lap. He wiped his tears with his sleeves in the slight hope that she might open her eyes and he doesn't want to show her his tears. He forced a smile on his lips as he shook the lifeless girl in his hands.

"Momo…open your eyes…I'm here now…Nobody's going to hurt you…" he commanded. He waited for her to snap out of it already and be cheery again. She remained devoid of emotion.

"This is not funny Momo….Do you want me to beg you to open your eyes?"

Ichigo and the others had now approached him to make sure that he's alright. He had already checked up on all his companions and they seem to be alive, sustaining only major injuries but could be life threatening if not given proper treatment.

"Taichou…let's go now…have you seen Hina…" Matsumoto did not need to pop the question because it was answered before her very eyes. Hinamori is gone.

Rukia looked away sadly while Renji and Kira rushed over to their precious classmate.

"What happened?!?" Renji was in panic. But before him and Kira could go to Hinamori to check on her, Hitsugaya finally spoke.

"DON'T TOUCH HER!" came his shout. Renji and Kira stopped but before Renji could utter a protest, Ichigo had tapped his shoulder and gave him a look that told him to understand. Rukia was trying to console Matsumoto from her crying, seeing one of her closest friend slip away from her.

Just then the other captains arrived and were about to ask what happened but instantly quieted down when Hitsugaya started crying again. He called out her name again and again.

"Stop him…" Kyouraku ordered the others. Nanao had started sobbing and it was paining him more.

No one dared to approach Hitsugaya. Everyone's hearts cried with sadness and pity, but mostly it was for the boy as he cradled his most special someone in his arms and held her ever so close to him.

"I should have said something…I'm so sorry…" he plead to Hinamori remembering how the captain commander ordered that all shinigami with the ranks of 6th seat and higher would be sent to Hueco Mundo for the final assault with Aizen. Hitsugaya did not utter a word of disapproval since he was so focused on killing Aizen that he forgot that Hinamori would go to battle too. When they arrived, war instantly broke out. It was a hard fight but in the end, Aizen and Tousen were both killed and so does the Arrancars. Gin had been spared when he suddenly blocked an attack that was for Matsumoto, so earning him his life and the chance to redeem himself. He was now standing by Matsumoto who was sobbing into Rukia's arms.

The sobs and mourns of Hitsugaya echoed in the air, sending more sadness into his companions hearts. He hated himself for being alive, for not protecting her and most importantly, for not telling her something which could have lightened his burden and regret, at least….

"Momo…Momo…I'll tell you a secret if you open your eyes…" he smiled at her, hoping she would finally give in. But still the sad reality that he was trying to not believe in prevailed.

"Taichou…" Matsumoto called. She had never seen him so sad and lifeless. Though it wasn't shown in her actions, Hitsugaya had kind of grown on her and the fact that she knows his deepest secret so she pesters him about it. She loves it when she wins during their arguments over Hinamori and get away from paperwork. She also knew that his heart jumps in joy when he sees Hinamori though he always shows a frowning face to her.

"Baka…Why do you have to go where I can't follow?" he remembered how one day she just decided to enter the shinigami ranks. How she met Aizen and grew to admire him. How she became vice-captain of the fifth division. How happy she was when she was close to her captain. How he followed her just to watch over her. How he loved her more and more though she had been blind to it.

Now Hitsugaya regretted it all. Truth sank down on him and drowned him. He lost all hope. He embraced her in his arms once more. He regretted when he had all the time in the world to say it to her, he got so nervous he ended up making her cry. If only he had said those three simple words every time she passes, everything would have been different, so terribly different.

"Hinamori…I…I…" his world went blank when he was hit at the back of his neck. Everyone gasped as he fell down on the ground, unconscious. Ukitake picked him up while Renji picked up Hinamori.

"Let's go back to Soul Society…" Byakuya commanded.

"Hai!"

"Hinamori…" Hitsugaya murmured in his sleep.

**0o0o0o0oo0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Rain fell so hard. It fell on everyone and everything. It only mudded up the dirt roads leading to a mansion at the edge of a forest. All through the trip, the doctor complained about the condition of the road and the cause of his annoyance at 2 in the morning.

He was sleeping soundly after a day's work at the hospital until the phone rang. Since it was beside the bed, he could hear it loudly. He promised himself to remove it afterwards.

"Hello?" he grumpily answered.

"Doctor! Come quick! Her fever had gone up! Please get here immediately!" Someone shouted in the phone.

The doctor knew exactly who the caller was talking about. He had visited the house twice already but it was on more favorable conditions than 2 in the morning.

"Alright, alright…calm down…I'll get there as soon as possible." He put down the phone then lied in bed for about two minutes before he convinced his body that he have to work. He dressed up quickly and ran to his car.

And now here he was…He could see the lights of the house in the distance and his car had reached the manor's cemented road so he sped up to the house. When he arrived, he was greeted by two maids who were trembling with panic and told him to go inside quickly. He saw the girl breathing heavily on the bed and he rushed to the chair next to her. He put down his supplies on the floor and started to examine her. After a few moments, he plopped back to the chair, looking dejected.

"How is she, Makino-san?" an old man, supposed to be the butler, asked. The man was close to tears and the news might give him a cardiac arrest.

"She won't make it…Even if I do something she still won't have a chance. Her body is so weak now…All we can do is wait…" Makino looked down on the ground, feeling sorry that he could not do anything for the ailing girl. She's just 15 years old and she's already on the edge of life. He heard the maids gasp and start wailing uncontrollably. He felt more down.

And then…the girl stopped breathing. She lay there peacefully as if she was sleeping. Makino checked her pulse and gave the servants a negative response. Everyone in the room fell silent. She had passed away so young. She was a very fine girl. She was polite, thoughtful, caring, she easily trusted anyone and everyone loves her. It's too bad that she got sick and must lie in bed most of her days. She lived in the manor alone with the servants because her parents thought it was right that the fresh air would make her feel good, since she was sickly and the city might aggravate her condition even more. But now, all is over.

Only the storm's howling could be heard.

And then, something happened that made the servants scamper in fright. The windows to her room suddenly shattered. The winds and the rain entered the room. Lights went off in the whole house.

"What's happening?!?" a maid cried.

"Calm down everyone, the storm is just strong…no need to…huh?" Makino looked down at the girl. He had been holding her hand all this time and he just felt it twitch. He was surprised to see her eyes flutter open and she sat on the bed, rubbing her head.

"What happened?'" she asked and she looked around her surroundings. The servants had gathered around and they were all happy to see her.

"You just died…" the doctor answered.

"Hagino-san! I'm scared!" she called one of her maids, though she considers them her friends. Hagino rushed to her side while the girl threw her arms around her and sobbed into her chest.

"It's alright now, Momo-sama…" she ran her hands up and down the girl's back, her heart glad that she wasn't hurt or anything.

The doctor motioned the old butler to go talk outside. Mr. Harada nodded and led the way.

"How is she?" after closing the door, Mr. Harada asked. He'll have to report it to her parents anyway.

"I don't know how that happened, but still, it's a miracle!" the doctor exclaimed.

"Still, thank you for answering our call even at this time." The old man bowed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't do anything. I'll come back tomorrow for another check-up." He took his hat and coat and dashed into his car.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

**I know in my profile I said Hitsugaya died….sorry…just joking…REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Girl in the tree

**Yehey! Bleach has a new movie! And as to what I saw on a teaser, Hitsugaya and Ichigo is going to have a fight! (drools) anyway, GODDAMIT I WON"T REST UNTIL I WATCH THAT MOVIE!!! I'm so excited wahey!!!**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Girl in the tree**

It had been a blissful month for Seiretei. The conclusion of Las Noches did not go uncelebrated by all the shinigami ranks and for a whole month, celebrations, parties and commemorations were held inside the white walls of Seiretei. They were happy, yes, for those people who never really fought and just stood back and waited for news about the war back in their comfy homes.

It was particularly sunny for a February day so everyone was out in the sun, basking in all the warmth as it shines down on them. Even some people were having a picnic under a rather huge Sakura tree in a breezy hill that was overlooking the whole Seiretei. And this people are comprised of Matsumoto Rangiku and her companions.

"Ah…what a nice day, ne taichou?" she looked over at her child captain who was hiding in the shades of the tree, as if afraid of the sunlight.

"Why did you drag me here?" he asked sternly, looking at his vice-caption.

"Hitsugaya-taichou should come out once in a while in days like this…want some watermelon?" Kira offered a slice of watermelon to the white haired genius. Though looking at Kira in a rather uncaring look, he reached for the watermelon and ate it.

"Why is Rukia taking so long? She's just going to fetch that idiot and she's taken at least an hour now, how's that?" Renji asked, taking a sip at the iced tea they had brought in there. Rukia had gone off to the real world to fetch Ichigo so he could spend the day in Soul Society with them. He had not been there for over three weeks now.

Hitsugaya finished his watermelon and came over to the picnic table and sat down to dig into a plate of watermelon to pass his time while waiting for the others to show up.

Matsumoto eyed her captain as he ate his fill. It was hard turning him back to the taichou she knew before Hinamori died. She remembers quite well how he had been for the first three weeks they had been back in Seiretei.

_He was just the shell of the boy he had been when Hinamori was still by his side. Everywhere Hitsugaya goes, coldness followed and crept over him. It seemed that the only thing keeping him from freezing himself over was Hinamori but she's now gone. What of him now?_

_He gets pissed off at every little thing that seems to come into his sight so no one bothered him or even talked to him in the fear of hell freezing over._

_Only Matsumoto saw through him all this time. After the day has gone and no one could hear him, she could hear him crying in his room. It pained her the most when she wanted to come to his aid but she doesn't know how. So she just stays awake the rest of the night until she could hear his cries subside and sleep overtake him. She knows the grief he was basking himself in, and he still couldn't see the way out._

_But then the time came when she had decided to rush to him. It was the first time in her life that she felt so scared so she immediately ran for his room. _

_It was another one of those nights when she would listen to him all night, crying for his best friend and most beloved one. Like she had come to do, she sat next to the wall separating her room from his so she could hear him better. Then her eyes widened when she heard the sound of a metal clanking against wood. Without listening for the next sound she could hear she stood up and ran to his room._

_She opened the door and saw Hitsugaya sitting in bed, Hyourinmaru in his hand, its sheath on the other and he was staring at it with eyes that seemed to be lifeless. He did not even look up to acknowledge another presence in the room. He just stared down at his sword and did nothing else._

_"Taichou!" with that Matsumoto rushed to her captain and enclosed him in her arms. "Taichou, please stop this…" she pleaded, crying as she embraced him._

_"Momo…" he muttered._

_"It wasn't your fault that she died…it was nobody's fault…please stop blaming yourself…please…" _

_"I want to see Momo…"_

_"Taichou, Momo's gone…she isn't coming back!"_

_"No, she's here…I saw her…" he looked at Matsumoto's tear stricken face and smiled. _

_'Momo...how could you?' Matsumoto thought while sobbing all the more, hugging the child captain tighter in her arms. For a second, Matsumoto found herself blaming Momo for leaving Hitsugaya in a state like this. The captain had died alongside Momo on that gruesome night three weeks ago. _

_Hitsugaya rested his face on her shoulder and sighed, "See? I told you she'll come back…Momo would never leave me…she loves me…" he said._

_Without a warning, Matsumoto slapped Hitsugaya. That was when he stopped and looked at Matsumoto, his eyes wide with shock, his cheeks paining him._

_"Live, Taichou…please." she said._

_"Matsumoto, I love Momo…so much…" with that he gave in to her embrace._

_Rangiku looked down as her captain calmed down and was on his way to falling asleep. How she came to love Hitsugaya, not as lovers go but she loved him like family, like a younger brother…She would always be here for him, now that Hinamori has passed away._

_"Good night, Taichou…" she kissed him lightly on the forehead and let sleep on his own, hopefully, his nightmares won't come again._

And now, looking at him eating with his friends and chatting with them brought glee to her heart. He's back to being the Hitsugaya she knew but part of him would always cherish Hinamori above all else.

"I'm here!!!" Yachiru shouted as she ran up the hill. She was followed by Ikkaku and Yumichika. "Baldy! Homo! They're up there!"

"I'm not a Homo! I'm just too beautiful!"

"I'm not bald!" Ikkaku piped. With that everyone looked at him and silence filled the area.

"What?" said Renji.

"Forget it…" Hitsugaya said, standing with his arms crossed and looking more and more impatient as the minutes passed by.

"Snowball! Snowball! How I've missed you! How are you today?" babbled Yachiru, her eyes glowing with mischief. "Did you have fun last night?"

"Taichou!?!" Matsumoto narrowed her eyes and grinned at Hitsugaya. "Is that true? What were you doing last night?"

Hitsugaya did not even pace at her question and just continued to glare at them. "What are you talking about? I wasn't anywhere last night!"

"Oh…I saw you kissing someone under the Sakura tree! Spill it!" Yachiru continued.

"No, I wasn't!" he looked as though he might strangle the pink haired child any minute now, "That's disgusting."

He knew Yachiru's just messing with him and he wasn't anywhere last night.

"Hello guys!" Rukia appeared all of a sudden, dragging Ichigo with her. The orange haired teen seemed to be full of bruises and is very pissed as he struggled from Rukia's grasp.

"Why the hell did you drag me out here? I was in the middle of class!!!" Ichigo yelled when Rukia released him.

"Hoi Ichigo! Long time no see!" Matsumoto greeted him.

"Yo! Rangiku-san! Toushiro!"

"it's Hitsugaya-taichou to you, Kurosaki."

CRACK.

"What the fuck is that?" Renji snapped.

"The tree…" Yumichika pointed. Indeed, the tree seemed to be cracking near the center and it seems that it is about to break in half.

Then all of a sudden, a brilliant eerie white glow engulfed all of them and they had to cover their eyes from too much light.

When the light had come to pass, they were all surprised to see a young lady with flowing white hair lying on the ground. And she had no clothes!!!

"Oh shit!" Renji said and looked away, blushing.

"Hey, let go! What's there to see?" Hitsugaya struggled against Matsumoto because she had covered his eyes before he could grasp the situation.

"Taichou, let me borrow this for a second…" she stripped him of his white captain's haori and let him go.

Hitsugaya rubbed his eyes and saw Matsumoto help a young lady stand up and that same lady was wearing his haori.

"Who is she?" he asked.

"She's strange, don't ya think?" Ichigo said to Ikkaku who was still in awe at what he saw.

"Why is she naked?" Ikkaku mumbled.

"She came from inside this tree…" Rukia said, inspecting the hollow in the middle of the tree. "But how she got in there in the first place really bothers me…"

"I'll take her to fourth company..." Matsumoto said to them, her arms supporting the still unconscious girl.

"I'll help you with that…" Ichigo hoisted the girl on his back and used shunpo to get to fourth company fast. Who knows if the girl might be dying?

The others, having nothing else to do, followed the three to the fourth company. "What the hell is wrong today? It seems as if the world has gone bonkers on us. It's a holiday for Pete's sake!!! I should have been sleeping all day!!" Renji complained.

"But why is today a holiday? We rarely get those days here." Yumichika struck on a beautiful pose which showed that he was thinking while they were running.

"Stop that. It's ugly." Ikkaku said

"How dare you! No part of me is ugly and will never be!"

"Hitsugaya-taichou looks like a normal child when he's not wearing his haori, how fascinating." Rukia pointed out.

"What is that supposed to mean, Kuchiki?"

"Nothing…just looking." Rukia smiled.

Soon they were at the steps of the fourth division and they saw Unohana coming out a room. When she saw them, she came over and smiled at them.

"Hitsugaya-taichou…here is your haori. I already gave her clothes." She handed him the haori, "And if you wish to see her, she's in there. But please do be silent. She's still tired." She said and left them as she proceeded to other rooms.

Hitsugaya and the others walked silently until they reached the specified door. Rukia slowly opened it and saw Ichigo and Rangiku standing beside the white bed, which held the motionless girl decked in a white sleeping gown.

"How is she?" Rukia asked Rangiku.

"She's awake but I think she doesn't want to talk yet…" she answered.

Hitsugaya looked over at the girl. Her white hair was spread out on the pillows and her right hand was lying on her forehead, as if obscuring the light from her eyes. She had her eyes closed but Matsumoto said that she was awake so they thought she was trying to sleep. Her left hand lay limp on her side as she breathed slowly but evenly.

"What's your name?" Rukia asked.

The room fell silent and they anticipated her answer. But after a minute did she sit up on the bed and faced them. Only then did she open her eyes to reveal teal colored irises.

"Hitsugaya Miyuki," she said then smiled at them.

**0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0**

Hinamori were on the terrace outside her bedroom. It was a hot day and her room does not give her any chance of cooling at all. So she went outside to have a bit of fresh air before the maids call her and summon her back into the house.

Lately, she had been having these weird dreams about a boy wearing a black shihakusho and he had spiky white hair. And then she starts seeing these weird serene inhabitants in her house when she could have sworn she did not see them before. They even have chains dangling from their bodies which gave her the creeps. She tried telling the maids but they said that she was just imagining things.

"What a great day." She said as she stretched her body.

And then comes the mystery about her about a month ago. The maids kept on telling her how lucky she is that she lived again. It was her second life. But ever since she lived again, her head always hurts and her mind is filled with swords and some sort of information that she can't grasp with her knowledge. The she had nightmares about a brown haired man stabbing her. She could not quite remember the sounds but the feeling was still there.

And then, the most bizarre of them all is the most frequent memory she recalled. The boy with the spiky white hair which struck her as an enigma. He seems to be very familiar to her, as if she had known him all her life. She could have recollections that sometimes she doubts if it was really her own.

"Hitsugaya Toushiro." She murmured as she looked up at the sky.

* * *

**How was that? PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW!!!**


End file.
